System of educational playing-cards.



Patented Aug. 22, |899.

w. HoLMAN y SYSTEM 0F EDUCATIONAL PLAYING CARDS.

(Application filed Jan. 23, 1899.)

(No Model.)

FRENCH ENSIGN.

NORTH AMERIC NNRWissis. ,c

' UNITED STATES.

PATENT OIgIcE.

WILLIAM I. IIOLMAN, JR., OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

SYSTEM oF EDUCATIONAL in avua'e-canns SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No, 631,766', dated August 22, 1899.

Application iiled January 23,1899. Serial No. 703,158. (No modeLl To all whom it4 mfr/y concern,.-

. Be itknown that LWILLIAM JENNINGs HOL- MAN, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, inthe county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful System of Educational Playing- Cards,of which the following is aspecification i My invention relates to educational playing-cards in which the educational feature intimately connected or associated with that. l

operates in conjunction with the plan of the ordinary playing-cards, the object being to furnish la means of absorbing information while engaged in playinga game of whist, euchre or any card game. ,y

To attain this object, I preserve as nearly as possible the appearance of the ordinary playing-cards, so that the innovations hereinafter mentioned may not be confusing to those .used to the common cards, and I treat a subject of study so generally and with so much simplicity that the graphic manner in which it is displayed on the cards, the number of times it is reproduced on said cards, and it being so portion of the card to which the eye is constantly directed that the information thereon contained is almost unconsciously absorbed'.

With such end in view the invention consists in dividing a subject of study, as history, geography, or the like, into items and placing these items upon the cards in theman- -ner about to be set forth.

j the principal features of The invention consists, first, insubdividing a given subject of study into separate and complete items of information, and vice versa, a set of cards miscellaneous items of information vunder a common head, and. arranging one or more of Asaid items or parts of information upon one or .more cards, as follows, to wit: (a) in connection or associated with the lconventional ,spots of hearts, spades,

diamonds, and clubs by' supplanting the conventional spots in the body of the.

card with the educational matter and leaving the indexes as they are new, or by placing the educational features within the lines'of the said conventional spots or the said spot or spots within or over the educational feature, and (b) in the same relative location as the said conventional spots, butin their stead in this case to distinguishthe suit in classifying for the items of rinformation may be tinted, or tints, devices, or characters may be used, as hereinafter stated, for said purpose; second, in distinguishing the suits, in cases where the conventional spots of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs have been dispensed with, by tinting the items lof information, or when the information has a variety of colors, as in the ease of lags, by using as a' background for such information tinted circles (or some other geometrical Iigure) in order' that the suits may be distinguished thereby, and in some cases I may tint the cards themselves to distinguish the suitsg third, in arranging when practicable upon the backs 0f the cards a given subject of study in its entirety or in further presentation or in illustration ofthe particular subject treated; fourth, in. occupying when practicable the body of the honor cards with matter appropriate or in connection with the subject treated in any partielllar set; fifth, in placing when practicable the used' in the Ordinary playing-cards with faces appropriate or connected with the subject treated in any given set; sixth, in utilizing the Whole or a portion of the margins of the cards when required in naming or describing the items or parts of information that are used as the spots on the cards, or I may place this `descriptive matter on orbeneath said spots, and, seventh, in tinting the margins ofthe cards or occupying the saine with characters and devices as indexes to represent the suits and the value of the card, said devices bearing the same color as that borne'by the spots The invention further consists in such other `modifications as are hereinafter shown and described, and pointed out in the claims.

In illustration of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l represents a conventional king Vcard with such modiiications introduced as will illustrate the manner of employing my inventionin connection therewith. Fig. 2 shows one design of a king card with such modifications and additions as will adapt it for use in connection with my improved edueational'playing-cards. It will'be seen that 'conventional faces of the honor cards sey IOO

`planted' by a tinted circle as a background for the item of information to designate the suit. Fig. 3 represen-ts one forln of the ace cards of my improved educational playing-cards with the conventional spot also supplanted by a tinted circle; Fig. 4 represents one l'forni of a three-spot card. Fig. 5 represents one forni of a two-spot,

l card. In this case the item of` information itself may be tinted to designate the suit Fig. 6 represents one form of a five-spot card,illustratingstill furtherthe arrangement of the matter on the cards. Fig. 7 represents the back of one of the cards, illustrating onel means of utilizing the backs of the cards.

In Fig. l the center of the ordinary spot designating the suit is occupied by the representation of the French yensign, showin g one of an ordinary king card. The centerof the card contains a representation of the IVestern Hemisphere, in which the United States, including Alaska, will be tinted in a distinctive color, with a face -of a conventional king replaced by that of Washington, ,with the presidential ensign substituted for the spot designating the suit, thusmaking a chain of circumstances relative to each other. In this figure it is also shown how the conventional spot can be dispensed with by placing in its stead tinted circles (or some other geometrical figure) as a' background bearing some color to designate the suit (This is usually done when the matter to be placed on the cards has a variety of color, asin the case of liags, dre.)

In Fig. 3 is shown an ace card, theeducational feature being a `representation of a shoulder-strap of a captain of the United States Army and also with information concerning a captain of the United States Army on the margin of the card. This figure also shows how a colored margin can be employed as an index to the suit 'In Fig. 1 is shown a three-spot card, the

. conventional spot being placed Within or over the educational feature.

In Fig. 5 is shown a tWo-spotcard and illustrates how either the spot or the card itself can be tinted to designate the snit and also how the educational feature can be form and color.

connectedwith the conventional spots by retaining the latter as an index. In this event it will be tinted the same color as the suit Fig. 6 shows a five-spot card, the educational featurepbeing placed within the conventional spot, thus using the ordinary.

In Fig.- 7'is'fshown the back of one; of the cards, with the educational feature being represented by a map of the United States ot America, and `illustrates how a subject or branch ofstudy can be treated in its entirety or in further presentation of the subject. ln this case a map of the United States'being placed on the back of the card the-individual States or some otherappropriate matter would be-substitutedy for the spots on the reverse side.

I haveendeavored thus 'to illustrate some of the different modifications under which diamonds, and clubs to represent the suits and the value of the cards, as at present, I introduce the educational features, asY

hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the drawings. With the spots arranged in the usual or conventional order any person familiar with the ordinary playin g-cards and the games played' therewith can readily adapt themselves to the use of the new and improved card.

I do not wish to be limited to any particular division of a subject or t0 any particular method of presenting it on the card, as the invention may beapplied in many ways; but it is natural and preferable to confine a whole subject, o r, ifftoo large, a portion of a subject to a single pack of cards, or two or more subjects may be employed in the same pack, or the divisions may be made on the lines of the suits Thus one subject of study maybe comprised in one suit of lthirteen cards and another subject comprised in the next sui t, Jac. It is also natural and preferable insome instances to larrange the value or importance of the information to correspond with the value or importance of the cards; but this rule in some cases may not be desirable, as it would tend to prevent, by confusion, the object for which the cards were designed-as, `for instance, the countries mightbe arranged according to their birth, age, area, population, commercial importance, strength of army -or navy, dac. In each they would occupy a diierent rank...

It will be remembered that each card con- Vtains an item or items of information which in themselves constitute factors of knowledge in their entirety, so that the val-ue of the information wouldnotbe depended upon for any exact arrangement.4 Yeta whole subject is so linked together thateach card becomes a component part of the whole set-,and by constantly bringing these parts before the mind in this' divided way, and they being reproduced a number of times on the same card in IOO IIO

IIS

the very places Where the eye must rest in 'orden to play'thev game, they will become the common property of all, as the mind will be able to absorb such small parcels of information with little or no study, and the whole subject will be in time so indelibly imprinted.

upon the mind as never to be forgotten.

Almost any subject or course'of study can be arranged and adjusted as herein stated, and the novelty of thus combining culture and pastime insures its popularity.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Sets of educational playing-cards composed of one or more packs certain cards of a pack having thereon an item or items of information which together form a subject or subjects of study and marks designating certain of the cards as to their relative value and importance, substantially as described.

2. Sets of playing-cards composed of one or more packs certain ofthe cards of the pack having thereon subjects of studyv and designating pips, designs or colors whereby@ the relationship or value of the cards may be determined in the playing of the gamefsubstantiallv as described.

4Clln combined playing and educational cards, a set of cards, certain cards having certain items of information in a general scheme, said items beingarranged on certain cards to tally both with the serial position of said cards in the `playing set and the serial position of the items themselves in the system or scheme of education, substantially as described. s

4. A set of playing-cards comprising one or more subjects of educational matter arranged on certain cards in the set and designated by means of text iigures and designs as' to their relative value or importance in relationto said educational matter whereby l games may be played suchy as the conventional games of whist, euchre and the like,

substantially as described.

5. A set of educational playing-cards, cerf my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. r f

' lWILLI'Aii/r nom/IAN, .m

, Witnesses: l

WM. Il. DE LACY, GEO. M.- COPENHAVER. 

